Fkont fork fob vehicles



Jan. 2s, 1941.

- G. M. PQM'l-:ROY

FRONT FORK FOR VEHICLES original Filed April 19, 1955 Reissuecl Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES rial No. 17,284,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a front fork for tricycles, bicycles and other two or three wheel vehicles.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a simple construction by which the shaft of the front wheel together with its bearings can be assembled in and secured to the fork in a minimum of time; to provide means for accurately supporting the bearings for the shaft in spite of the fact that the bearing housing is not continuous; to provide a simple means all'in one piece for fixing the races of the ball bearing in the housing and to provide a construction which will be rigid and durable for accurately and freely 5 supporting the wheel shaft.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a front fork constructed in accordance with this invention, shown partly in section on the line I-I of Fig. 2, before the parts are assembled;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the sectioned part of the same on enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a side View with the parts assembled, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the same on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

0 Forks for this general purpose have been manufactured for many years and it has been a time consuming job to put the wheel shaft through the housing at the lower end of the fork, apply the wheel, center the shaft and fix the bearing races in proper place and in rigid condition. Most of the old constructions also have been subinducing looseness at one end or the been very difficult to anchor the outer race of the ball bearing properly in permanent position. These diiculties are overcome by the present invention.

The fork or frame I0 is made with two legs I I, as usual, of pressed steel, malleable iron, or the like. At the bottom of each leg there is an an- -nulus I2 which, as will appear, does not extend throughout the full circle. This annular portion, of course, is integral with the leg II and it is provided with a conical open-ended portion I3 on the inside integral with the annulus `and constituting `an inturned edge. At one side of the bottom but not exactly at the bottom, is a radial slanting slot I4 all the way through the parts I2 and I3 for the purpose of admitting the shaft 55 of the wheel.

Glendon M. Pomeroy, Worcester,

to Matthews Manufacturing Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original No. 2,018,91 3, dated October 29, 1935, Se-

April 19, 1935. Application for reissue February 29, 1940, Serial No. 321,57 0- (Cl. 30S- 178) PATENT OFFICE 21,702 FRONT FORK FOR VEHICLES Mass., assigner The wheel hub I5, as usual, is fixed on the wheel shaft I6. Beyond theV hub at each end this shaft is adapted to have placed thereon a sleeve I'I, the said sleeves carrying the ball bearings by which the shaft is rotatively mounted in the two 5 housing portions I2, I2 of the fork III. Each ball bearing comprises a series of balls 2|, 2| arranged between an inner race 2D and an outer race 22, the latter being surrounded by a casing 23 of sheet metal which is bent over at one end ',10 at 24 so as to hold the inner race in position, and which is bent over at the opposite end at 25 to anchor it to the outer race. Each ball bearing assembly may be fixed in position on its sleeve I1, l as by means of circular bosses I8 and I9 of said '.15 sleeve, engaging the inner race of the ball bearing. I The entire shaft and bearings assembly, as above described, can be readily positioned in the fork housings I2, I2 because the latters slots I4, 20 I4, either when the sleeves I'I are slid axially a little distance, or when one or both of the legs II is slightly sprung, permit radial inward movement therethrough of the shaft portions immediately adjacent the ball bearings. Thus the latter can be brought into axial alinement with the housing portions I2, I2 so as to slip into position therein, as shown in Fig. 4. As so assembled, the end of each ball bearing at comes up against the conical portion I3, which serves to limit its movement in that direction. To cornplete the assembly, and to limit bearing movement in the other direction, I provide the two caps 30, 3i! which are placed over the ends of the housings I2, I2. Each cap is shown as having 3 a radial slot 3| to register with the slot I4. Each cap engages the annulus I2 throughout a large part of its surface. A tongue 26 on the cap is inserted in a slot 21 in the leg II and then two tongues 28 on the opposite sides 'of the slot I4 4.0 are pressed down along the sides of this slot and bent outwardly in opposite directions. The tongue 2B is bent upwardly as sho-wn at 29. This anchors the cap in position on the leg and thus the two caps serve to lock the shaft bearings securely within the housings provided by the ends of the legs II, II. One of the tongues is lnserted freely and the others are snapped in with the aid of a hammer and all three of them bent over with a hammer or in any other desired way. This const'tutes an extremely simple holding device for the ball bearing and one that will give no chance for lwearmg with considerable usage. The parts are not likely to get out of order in any way and the whole construction is anchored `togelthez in the proper position Without the diy culvty of passing the sli-aft longitudinally through one or both of ,the housings.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not Wish to be limited same by endvvise movemenftl on said shaft.

2. A vehicle .fork assembly comprising a shaft, a .vvheel secured to said shaft at an intemnedate memlbe-i' having Wheel is Teceivabie, each of said legs terminating in a substantially annular housing, said housings, in alined relation for the reception of said bearings, being spaced `apart by less than the length of said shaft and each having :an inlturne'd integral flange against which one end of the as sociated bear-ing .adapted Lting said shafft, when sai-d 'bearings are oifs'elt endwise from said housings, to be entered radisaidsl'ots to dispose said bearings in con'cenltr'ic relation to said housin s, for entry portion of its length, and assembled anti-friction for the jlournla'lling of said snai-t apopposite sides of said wheel, in combination with a Ifork member hav'ng .tlwo legs between which said Wheel is receivable, each of said legs terminating in a substantially annular said shaft are 'offset endwise from said housings, and .a cap member for rdeftacl'iabl'e connection to each housing after its respeotive bearing 'has been positioned endwise therein ybo oppose end'wise movement of the associated :bearing in they other direction.

GL'ENDON M. POMEROY. 

